To Be Valiant
by LadyAlambiel
Summary: What does it mean to be Valiant?


Disclaimer: I don't own Narnia or any characters you may recognize from the books or the movies, I wish I did but I don't...

Summary: What does it mean to be Valiant?

A/N: This story was requested by AnonymousFellow and is part of my _A Light in the Darkness_ universe. This story is based on the suggestion for something about Lucy involving either a festival, nymphs or fawns, exploration of the title "Valiant", or whatever else comes to mind. Enjoy!

**To Be Valiant**

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Lucy swung her feet, still unable to reach the floor whenever she sat in one of the chairs meant for Humans or Fauns or Nymphs or Satyrs, and tried not to fidget noticeably while Sallowpad spoke. Susan was looking at her now. Maybe she hadn't been as still as she had hoped. The four of them had already been through morning lessons and held court. Now was another council meeting on…on…something.

"Lu!"

She started at Edmund's hiss then blushed when she realized everyone was looking at her. "I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

Sallowpad ruffled his glossy black feathers and clacked his beak. "I thought perhaps the Valiant Queen might wish to visit the nestlings still in the healers' wing after the forest fire last week. They would very much enjoy having someone to cheer them up."

Lucy smiled widely. "I'll go right now!" She sprang from her chair and was already out the door before anyone could suggest otherwise.

No one knew how the forest fire had started but it had been close enough to Cair Paravel that her brothers and the soldiers had immediately gone to help. She hadn't been allowed to go with them even though she had tried. Instead, she and Susan had stayed behind to help the healers prepare for the wounded. Fortunately, only a few lives were lost before the forest fire had been put out but a number of younglings were injured too badly to leave the healers' wing yet. Their parents, and in some cases siblings, had all been given rooms close to the wing so the families weren't completely separated but the adults still had to see about repairing or rebuilding their homes.

Tiptoeing into the healers' wing, Lucy waved to Alithia as she spoke with another healer. The Centauress and Faun both bowed their heads in silent greeting then resumed their conversation. Lucy eased the door open to one of the long narrow rooms and grinned as little voices shouted, "Queen Lucy! Queen Lucy! Queen Lucy!"

"Good afternoon!" Lucy hurried into the room, smiling. There several young Dryads, Hedgehogs, Rabbits, Squirrels, Foxes, and one very sweet Fawn chorused a reply. Lucy chattered with each one, sympathizing with the uncomfortableness of the bandages or the highly embarrassing lack of fur or the boredom of staying in the room. Finally, the sweet Fawn blinked her wide liquid brown eyes and asked for a story.

The little ones cheered and gasped at all the appropriate spots as Lucy told them all about the grand adventure that had brought her and her siblings to the land of Narnia. Almost all of them had dozed off by the time she finally finished, "And then there was a grand celebration after the coronation, but Aslan didn't stay. He had to leave now that Narnia is set to rights but you mustn't worry. We'll see Aslan again one day."

"Queen Lucy?"

"Yes, Deepa?"

The little Fawn sighed as she stretched her neck out, brushing the side of her face against the cushion. "What does 'Valiant' mean?"

"Well, it means…" Lucy trailed off, frowning. "I- I don't know what it means." She looked down but the little Fawn was already asleep. Lucy carefully crept out of the room full of sleeping children. A new question plagued her as she left the healers' wing. How can she be valiant if she doesn't even know what it means?

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"Oh! Mr. Tumnus!" Lucy ran up to the Faun, grinning as she took his hands in hers. "I'm so glad you haven't left yet."

"My dear Queen Lucy." Mr. Tumnus bowed his head and she was thrilled to see the little gold horns she'd commissioned for him peeking through the curly brown hair. He smiled at her. "I fear I must be leaving soon though. My cave is still such a mess, you know."

Lucy giggled as she looped her arm through his and they walked up the hall. "But, you must promise to come and visit again, Mr. Tumnus. And soon."

"Oh I'm sure I shall visit enough that you shall be quite glad to see the back of me. Although, I do worry about you and your siblings. What with that forest fire last week. Terrible business, indeed."

"Mr. Tumnus, what does 'valiant' mean?"

His cloven hooves ceased their light tapping as they came to an abrupt stop. Mr. Tumnus fiddled with his red scarf. "Well, it means to be brave. And you, my dear Queen Lucy, are the bravest person I know."

Lucy gave him a smile. "Thank you, Mr. Tumnus." But, she didn't feel that was the answer she needed.

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"What does 'valiant' mean?" Sitting in the leafy branches of a large elm, Lucy played with her dagger. She ran her thumb over the small lion's head. "What did You mean when You called me 'valiant' and how do I be 'valiant?'"

There had to be a reason. Somehow, she didn't feel that she had been particularly brave even though Mr. Tumnus thought so. She felt there was something…more. The sound of snapping twigs drew her out of her ponderings. Lucy shrank back against the tree trunk as she scanned the forest below. A shaggy Satyr with a broken horn appeared first. Something about him was…wrong. There was a shadow hanging over him. Lucy bit her lip to keep from gasping as two large, shaggy Wolves and a sickly-looking Cougar emerged followed by two Dwarfs. The Dwarfs were grumbling to each other when one of the Wolves raised its head, sniffing loudly. The Satyr grunted, "What is it?"

"Man-flesh."

The other two Beasts started sniffing as well then the Cougar looked directly up at her. Lucy gripped her dagger tighter. _Aslan, help!_ As one, the Fell creatures' faces took on an eerie grin. The Cougar snarled, "A usurper in the trees. How fitting. Come down, cub! We'll make your death quick."

The Satyr raised his kopesh, the curved blade glinting wickedly in the afternoon light. "Set a fire to entrap the Kings to no avail and one of the Queens stumbles in our path by chance or perhaps by Her design. Bring her down!"

Lucy began climbing higher, struggling to reach the narrower branches that would not hold the Cougar's weight. She screamed as loudly as she could when the Cougar swiped at her, just missing her dangling feet. She screamed again and kicked the Cougar in the head as she scrambled to climb higher. The Cougar snarled and leapt. Its claws sank into her skirts, tugging her feet off the branch she had just climbed to, but Lucy wrapped her arm around the branch. She tried to turn to plant her dagger in the Cougar's paw but it tugged again, almost pulling her down completely. Her little dagger fell to the ground below.

Then a loud war cry filled the air and the Fell scrambled to flee. Only the Satyr and one Wolf managed to flee before a Centaur charged out of the brush. Lucy kicked out at the Cougar again and it snarled. There was a sharp yelp below but then Lucy could only scream as the Cougar tugged her skirt hard enough to rip a patch free at the same time she lost her grasp on the branch above. She tumbled through the branches and then landed…in a pair of ironbound arms. The Cougar yowled then vanished through the tree branches as Lucy looked up at the General's stern visage. "Oreius!"

The Centaur carried her away from the site. "Queen Lucy, where are your guards?"

"I…I don't think anyone noticed that I left. But, Oreius, that Satyr said they're ones who caused the forest fire! To trap Peter and Edmund!"

Oreius looked down at her then and his expression softened slightly. "Do not fear, My Queen. I will take a troop to hunt down the Fell after I have returned you to Cair Paravel." He set her down then raised an eyebrow. "And now, My Queen, perhaps you might tell me why you were out here?"

Lucy sighed. "I was trying to figure out what 'valiant' means."

The General raised both eyebrows at that then flicked his tail. "Do you truly not know?"

She frowned a little, wondering why he would ask that. But then she gasped as her hand brushed against the empty sheath hanging from her belt. "Oh no!"

"Majesty?"

"My dagger! It must still be under that tree. We have to go get it!"

She tried to hurry past Oreius only for the Centaur to stop her with a firm but gentle hand to her shoulder. "No, My Queen. I cannot vouch for your safety if you were to return before the remaining Fell have been hunted down. I will recover your dagger when I return with the troop."

Lucy pouted up at him. "But, Oreius, Father Christmas gave me that dagger. I can't lose it. What if you never find it? I know I'll be safe with you."

The Centaur shook his head, looking very grave, but there was a hint of understanding in his dark eyes. "I cannot knowingly take you into a potentially dangerous situation, My Queen. However, I _am_ certain this part of the woods is safe and there are some Dryads just in the next grove. Come with me." With that, the General led her into the little grove and called out to the Trees. A single Elm Dryad stepped out of her Tree and curtsied respectfully. Oreius spoke with her for a moment before turning back to Lucy. "Persephone will keep you company until I return. It is safer than waiting alone." The Centaur looked down at her for a long moment and then he pulled a dagger from his sword belt. She hadn't even noticed it tucked there between the larger swords hanging along his left side. Oreius handed it to her. "Keep this for your protection until I return your dagger, My Queen."

Lucy took the dagger. It was heavier than her own and obviously made for the General's larger hands but she was certain she could use it if necessary. The Elm Dryad was quietly respectful as they waited for Oreius' return. Lucy was fairly dancing with impatience when she turned to the Dryad. "Persephone, how long has Oreius been gone?"

A gentle frown marred the Dryad's pretty face. "It has been nearly an hour, Queen Lucy. And-"

She cut herself off then grew strangely pale as the wind rustled through the branches overhead. Lucy watched her closely. "What is it? What do you hear?"

"The trees whisper of blood being spilt."

Lucy frowned then her eyes widened. "Oreius! Persephone, go to Cair Paravel. Let the soldiers know that something's happened to the General and that there are Fell around."

She wasn't sure if the Dryad would protest but apparently the tone of command she had forced into her voice was enough to motivate Persephone. She looked up and dissolved into swirling leaves in the blink of an eye. Lucy grasped Oreius' dagger tighter and hurried back to where she had been attacked. She heard the sound of battle then a hoarse cry of pain cut off as if someone had grit his teeth together to force silence. Her steps slowing, she climbed the nearest tree and then used the branches to move from tree to tree.

Doing her best to keep from shaking any branches and revealing her presence, Lucy had to clamp a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out when she could finally see what was happening. The three surviving Fell had returned but apparently they had also brought reinforcements since she could see other bodies littering the ground. Oreius was bleeding from several wounds and he was favoring one of his legs. The three Fell had spread out so the Wolf and Cougar were closing on either side while the Satyr with the broken horn had an arrow trained on Oreius. She had to do something.

Without any thought to her own safety, Lucy slipped down from the tree and threw the dagger at the Satyr. Its bulky weight threw off her aim but it still sank deep into the Satyr's upper leg. He cried out and loosed the arrow just as the Wolf darted forward to clamp his jaws around Oreius' rear leg. The Centaur shouted and then kicked the Beast loose before kicking him in the head. The Wolf didn't get up again.

Lucy didn't slow. She grabbed a light spear that had fallen to the ground and then charged straight toward the Satyr. "Aslan!" The dark blood staining the Satyr's shaggy grey fur around the dagger slowed his turn but still he swung the kopesh up menacingly. Just before Lucy reached him, he made a strange little gurgling sound and then collapsed.

A sickening snap filled the air and Oreius groaned as the Cougar screamed as they tumbled to the ground. The Centaur was still fighting but his movements were slowed by the broken arrow sticking out of his right shoulder. Lucy shouted again, "For Aslan!" The Cougar leapt away from Oreius and vanished into the underbrush. She kept a hold of the spear as she walked over to Oreius. "Is…is he gone?"

"No. He is circling us. Keep the spearhead up and be on your guard." The General was pale and a frothy lather streaked with red blood covered his black coat even as beads of sweat formed upon his brow. How long had he been fighting injured? Lucy automatically reached for her cordial but that life-saving vial was sitting safely in its box on her dressing table. She had completely forgotten to put it on her belt before she decided to leave the Cair.

"Oreius. You're-"

She didn't know what it was that made her look up, automatically raising the spear as she did so. The Cougar was leaping down, claws out and jaws open to reveal deadly fangs. Oreius shouted, "No!"

The Cougar slammed into her and she barely registered a brief flicker of pain before darkness rushed up to greet her.

"Queen Lucy. Lucy." A large, calloused hand was gently touching her forehead. "Lucy, you need to open your eyes. Lucy."

_Daddy?_ _Daddy's home!_ It was a struggle to open her eyes though and her arms and chest hurt. "Daddy," she whispered.

The warmth of her daddy's hand cupped her cheek. "Lucy? Can you hear me? Open your eyes." She opened them and the face bent toward hers gained clarity. It wasn't her daddy's blond hair and blue eyes. It was the dark hair and eyes of the Centaur General. He was watching her worriedly and murmuring, "There. Brave little filly. Can you hear me, Lucy?"

She nodded slowly. "I thought-" She cut herself off as she remembered the Cougar. A glance to the left showed the Fell lying a foot away still with his claws outstretched and his jaws open but now a shattered spear shaft protruded from between his ribs in addition to the dagger sticking out of his neck. She wasn't sure which wound had killed him but it didn't really matter. She sat up stiffly and glanced down at her arms, twin claw marks decorated her upper arms. Her chest felt bruised. From the Cougar collapsing on top of her?

Lucy turned to Oreius. "The Satyr."

"He is dead. Your throw nicked the femoral artery and combined with exertion, it killed him."

She swallowed hard, trying not to dwell on the lives she had helped to take. Instead, she focused on the life she helped to save. Her gaze fell on the Centaur's wounds and she gasped at the sight of his obviously broken leg. It did not take her long to find her dagger lying in the trampled grass close to Oreius and then she quickly cut off three long strips from the bottom of her underskirt. "I'm sorry, Oreius. I never should have asked you to come back for my dagger."

The Centaur waved her apologies away. "It was impossible to know the Fell would be lying in wait already. Where is Persephone?"

"Oh. I ordered her to go get help then I came to help you." Lucy paused in the middle of carefully wiping the blood and lather away from his side. "Should I try to set your leg? Alithia hasn't shown me how to do that yet. But maybe you can tell me how."

He shook his head. "No. It will be better to leave it as it is for now." He groaned and reached up to the arrow still sticking out of his shoulder.

Lucy didn't hesitate to cut another two strips from her underskirt. Then she placed her small hands on either side of the arrow. Alithia had been teaching her about how to treat arrow wounds just yesterday. She had said to only pull out the arrows that were not barbed and to watch for signs that the arrowhead had twisted. She looked over at the arrows littering the ground next to the fallen Satyr. They weren't barbed. "Hold still." She wrapped her hand around the broken shaft and pulled as hard as she could. Oreius grimaced but the arrowhead slipped free. Lucy smiled widely. "I did it!"

Oreius chuckled. "Thank you."

She pressed the fabric over his wound to staunch the bleeding as they waited for the soldiers who would be able to help Oreius get back to Cair Paravel.

"Queen Lucy."

"Yes?"

"This is one of the ways to be valiant." The Centaur smiled faintly at her confused look. "You do not let fear stop you. That is what it means to be valiant. Whether it is running into a dangerous situation to save one who should be protecting you or rescuing stranded Kittens, that is what it means to be valiant. You, Lucy Pevensie, are courageous without even realizing that is what you are doing as you seek to help others and I believe that is the best and most selfless way to be valiant."

Lucy had never thought about it that way. But then the soldiers found them. The Cair was in an uproar and her siblings came running out when they returned. She let Susan and Peter fuss over her. Even Edmund was demanding to know how the Fell got so close to Cair Paravel without being caught and also checking on her to be sure there was nothing terribly wrong. But she refused to let the healers tend her scratches and bruises until she had given Oreius a sip of the cordial (while he had been refusing the suggestion). She grasped the Centaur's large hand and smiled at him. "Thank you, Oreius."

The General cleared his throat and bowed slightly. They never mentioned that particular discussion again. But Lucy never forgot what Oreius said about how it was part of her to be valiant. And now that she knew how to be valiant, or rather how to continue being valiant, she threw herself wholeheartedly into helping her family, friends and subjects, as Aslan would expect of the Queen He named the Valiant.

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**A/N: Please Read and Review! **


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